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Canadian Natural Resources (CNQ) Stock Forecast & Price Target

Canadian Natural Resources logo
$47.45 -0.48 (-1.01%)
Closing price 09/25/2026 03:59 PM Eastern
Extended Trading
$47.49 +0.04 (+0.09%)
As of 09/25/2026 07:30 PM Eastern
Extended trading is trading that happens on electronic markets outside of regular trading hours. This is a fair market value extended hours price provided by Massive. Learn more.

Canadian Natural Resources - Analysts' Recommendations and Stock Price Forecast (2026)

Consensus Rating

Sell
0
Hold
5
Buy
7

Based on 12 Wall Street analysts who have issued ratings for Canadian Natural Resources in the last 12 months, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy." Out of the 12 analysts, 5 have given a hold rating, and 7 have given a buy rating for CNQ.

Consensus Price Target

$57.00
20.14% Upside
According to the 12 analysts' twelve-month price targets for Canadian Natural Resources, the average price target is $57.00. The highest price target for CNQ is $65.00, while the lowest price target for CNQ is $49.00. The average price target represents a forecasted upside of 20.14% from the current price of $47.45.
MarketBeat calculates consensus analyst ratings for stocks using the most recent rating from each Wall Street analyst that has rated a stock within the last twelve months. Each analyst's rating is normalized to a standardized rating score of 1 (sell), 2 (hold), 3 (buy) or 4 (strong buy). Analyst consensus ratings scores are calculated using the mean average of the number of normalized sell, hold, buy and strong buy ratings from Wall Street analysts. Each stock's consensus analyst rating is derived from its calculated consensus ratings score (0 to .5 = Strong Sell, .5 to 1 = Sell, 1 to 1.5 = Reduce, 1.5 to 2.5 = Hold, 2.5 to 3.0 = Moderate Buy, 3.0 to 3.5 = Buy, >3.5 = Strong Buy). MarketBeat's consensus price targets are a mean average of the most recent available price targets set by each analyst that has set a price target for the stock in the last twelve months. MarketBeat's consensus ratings and consensus price targets may differ from those calculated by other firms due to differences in methodology and available data.
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CNQ Analyst Ratings Over Time

TypeCurrent Forecast
9/26/25 to 9/26/26
1 Month Ago
8/27/25 to 8/27/26
3 Months Ago
6/28/25 to 6/28/26
1 Year Ago
9/26/24 to 9/26/25
Strong Buy
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
Buy
7 Buy rating(s)
6 Buy rating(s)
6 Buy rating(s)
4 Buy rating(s)
Hold
5 Hold rating(s)
5 Hold rating(s)
6 Hold rating(s)
2 Hold rating(s)
Sell
0 Sell rating(s)
0 Sell rating(s)
0 Sell rating(s)
0 Sell rating(s)
Consensus Price Target$57.00$57.00$57.00$62.00
Forecasted Upside20.14% Upside14.46% Upside44.20% Upside89.43% Upside
Consensus RatingModerate BuyModerate BuyModerate BuyModerate Buy

CNQ Analyst Recommendations By Month

The chart below shows how a company's ratings by analysts have changed over time. Each bar represents the previous year of ratings for that month. Within each bar, the sell ratings are shown in red, the hold ratings are shown in yellow, the buy ratings are shown in green, and the strong buy ratings are shown in dark green.
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CNQ Price Targets by Month

The chart below shows how a company's share price and consensus price target have changed over time. The dark blue line represents the company's actual price. The lighter blue line represents the stock's consensus price target. The even lighter blue range in the background of the two lines represents the low price target and the high price target for each stock.
Skip Chart and View Analyst Price Target HistorySkip Chart & View Price History Table

Canadian Natural Resources Stock vs. The Competition

TypeCanadian Natural ResourcesEnergy CompaniesBroader Market
Consensus Rating Score
2.58
2.45
2.53
Consensus RatingModerate BuyHoldModerate Buy
Predicted Upside20.14% Upside41.99% Upside19.21% Upside
News Sentiment Rating
Positive News

See Recent CNQ News
Positive News
Positive News
DateBrokerageAnalystActionRatingPrice TargetReport Date
Upside/Downside
Details
9/18/2026
Weiss Ratings logo
Weiss Ratings
5 of 5 stars
 UpgradeBuy (B-) ➝ Buy (B)
9/16/2026 Reiterated RatingOutperform
8/27/2026 Reiterated RatingOutperform
8/19/2026 DowngradeStrong-Buy ➝ Hold
8/7/2026 Reiterated RatingSector Perform
8/7/2026 Reiterated RatingBuy
7/16/2026 UpgradeHold
3/12/2026Boost TargetBuy$37.00 ➝ $49.00+0.96%
3/6/2026Boost TargetOutperform$61.00 ➝ $65.00+42.70%
3/5/2026 DowngradeStrong-Buy ➝ Moderate Buy
1/6/2026 DowngradeOutperform ➝ In-Line
10/16/2025 UpgradeHold
7/17/2025 Reiterated RatingSector Perform
2/10/2025DowngradeStrong-Buy ➝ Hold

Analyst ratings data on MarketBeat is provided by Benzinga and other data providers. This page was last refreshed on Saturday at 01:55 PM ET.


Should I Buy Canadian Natural Resources Stock? CNQ Pros and Cons Explained

These pros and cons were generated based on recent news and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate insights. They were last updated on Tuesday, September 22, 2026. Please send any questions or comments about these Canadian Natural Resources pros and cons to contact@marketbeat.com.

Canadian Natural Resources
Bull Case

green Wall Street bull icon

Here are some ways that investors could benefit from investing in Canadian Natural Resources Limited:

  • Canadian Natural Resources Limited recently reported strong financial performance, beating analyst expectations with an EPS of $1.58 in the most recent quarter, which significantly exceeded the consensus estimate of $1.43, indicating robust profitability and operational efficiency that supports shareholder value.
  • The company offers an attractive dividend yield of 3.64% based on the current stock price of $47.82, providing a steady income stream for investors, with a recent quarterly dividend of $0.625 per share scheduled for payment, which is a key draw for income-focused portfolios.
  • Analysts maintain a "Moderate Buy" consensus rating with a price target of $57.00, suggesting significant upside potential from the current trading level, as the stock is currently trading well below this target, reflecting confidence in the company's future growth trajectory.
  • Canadian Natural Resources Limited has demonstrated consistent earnings beats over the last year, including a 15% beat in the most recent quarter and a 15% beat in the previous quarter, showcasing a reliable track record of outperforming market expectations and delivering strong bottom-line results.
  • The stock has shown strong momentum, reaching a 52-week high of $52.31 in September 2026, indicating positive market sentiment and potential for continued appreciation as the company benefits from favorable industry conditions and strong demand for its crude oil and natural gas products.

Canadian Natural Resources
Bear Case

red Wall Street bear icon

Investors should be bearish about investing in Canadian Natural Resources Limited for these reasons:

  • Short interest in Canadian Natural Resources Limited has increased significantly, rising by 96.3% in August 2026 to 113,170,168 shares, which represents a high level of bearish sentiment and could lead to downward pressure on the stock price if short sellers continue to add to their positions.
  • The company's stock price of $47.82 is below its 50-day moving average of $48.03, suggesting a short-term downtrend and potential weakness in momentum, which may indicate that the stock is facing resistance and could continue to decline in the near term.
  • Canadian Natural Resources Limited has a relatively high debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, which, while manageable, indicates a level of leverage that could become a concern if interest rates rise or if the company faces unexpected operational challenges, potentially impacting its financial flexibility.
  • The stock has experienced a recent decline of 2.4% in midday trading, reaching $48.46, which reflects short-term volatility and potential market uncertainty, suggesting that investors may be cautious about the stock's immediate direction and risk of further losses.
  • Canadian Natural Resources Limited operates in the oil and gas sector, which is subject to significant commodity price volatility and regulatory risks, making the company's earnings and stock price susceptible to external factors beyond its control, such as global oil demand fluctuations and environmental regulations.

CNQ Forecast - Frequently Asked Questions

According to the research reports of 12 Wall Street equities research analysts, the average twelve-month stock price forecast for Canadian Natural Resources is $57.00, with a high forecast of $65.00 and a low forecast of $49.00.

12 Wall Street analysts have issued "buy," "hold," and "sell" ratings for Canadian Natural Resources in the last twelve months. There are currently 5 hold ratings and 7 buy ratings for the stock. The consensus among Wall Street analysts is that investors should "moderate buy" CNQ shares.

According to analysts, Canadian Natural Resources's stock has a predicted upside of 20.14% based on their 12-month stock forecasts.

Over the previous 90 days, Canadian Natural Resources's stock had 4 upgrades and 2 downgrades by analysts.

Canadian Natural Resources has been rated by research analysts at Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, Desjardins, Raymond James Financial, Scotiabank, TD Securities, Weiss Ratings, and Zacks Research in the past 90 days.

Analysts like Canadian Natural Resources more than other "energy" companies. The consensus rating for Canadian Natural Resources is Moderate Buy while the average consensus rating for "energy" companies is Hold. Learn more on how CNQ compares to other companies.


MarketBeat monitors more than a dozen sources for Canadian Natural Resources analyst ratings, with the most recent rating issued on 9/18/2026.
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